making news this morning -- southern sweep. >> rick santorum pulls off important victories in the south despite being outspent 2 to 1. a disappointing showing for newt gingrich. is he ready to bow out? and boston blackout. hundreds of thousands of folks without power right now. and the shot of a lifetime by a hawk eye no look over the back and it's good. and good wednesday morning, everyone. you can now put several more

states in rick santorum's win column. >> he had a big night. we watched new numbers come in throughout the early morning hours. sign this is race is now a solidly two man fight. >> santorum won in alabama with about 35% of the vote. a more than five-point advantage over his outcomes. closer outcome in mississippi with a third place showing for romney. and polls chosing a short time ago in hawaii. romney is in the lead there. he won the territory of american samoa. >> what are the candidates saying this morning? tahman bradley is live in washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. e vn jell call voters made up 80% of the electorate in alabama and mississippi. rick santorum made ate southern sweep. >> we did it again. >> reporter: winning primaries

in alabama and mississippi, he rejected the idea that mitt romney will eventually lock up the republican nomination. >> for someone who thinks this race is inevitable. he spent a whole lot of money against me for being inevitable. >> reporter: santorum called on conservatives to unite behind him. >> the time is now for conservatives to pull together. time is now to make sure, to make sure that we have the best chance to win this election. >> reporter: exit polling in alabama and mississippi shows conservatives are split. half of the voters in those states said romney is not conservative enough and divided their vote between santorum and gingrich. gingrich says he'll keep fighting until the gop convention. last night, he threw a punch a t romney. >> 23 you're the front-runner and you keep coming in third,

you're not much of a front-runner. >> reporter: the delegate math still favors romney. >> he's at the desperate end of his campaign and is trying in some way to boost his prospects. >> reporter: a new poll shows romney tied with president obama among likely voters and leading by eight points among independents. >> we know that santorum can't earn the 1144 delegates. what are his chances down the road? >> reporter: it will be tough for him. except among conservative, evangelical, religious, and aept abortion rights voters, he did not fare well. romney continues to win on the question of who is the most electable candidate. that will be tough for santorum headed into illinois where evangelicals are expected to be a much smaller slice of the

electorate. we turn to breaking news out of afghanistan. leon panetta has arrived there for a visit. he's meeting with afghan president karzai and u.s. service members as well. the trip was on his schedule but is especially timely now given the deadly rampage by an american soldier over the weekend. the military still has not determined the soldier's name but has determined there's probable cause to hold him there. he may have been drinking before the massacre. there's been an arrest at that same troubled military facility where that soldier was based. another soldier at joint base lewis-mcchord is being held for hara harassment. according to court documents, he paid a hit man to have his wife and xhapding officer killed. more tragic news overnight from switzerland.

at least 22 children from belgium were killed when the bus hit a tunnel wall. the children, all 1 years old, were returning home after attending a ski camp in the airy. six adults were killed as well. we'll have the latest on "good morning america." well, actor and activist george clooney will testify today about the human rights campaign in sudan. he just returned from there where there's heated battle over oil. what is worse is what he calls war crimes. hear more from george live on "good morning america" later today. well, a major explosion and fire has plunged much of downtown boston into darkness this morning. a burned-out transformer in the back bay section is spewing huge plumes of smoke into the air.

it's smelly but not toxic. more than 200,000 homes and businesses are without power and will likely stay that way through the morning commute. the brock lynn bring will be examined after a crane being carried by a tug boat hit the bridge overnight. the bridge itself was likely speared. some scaffolding was hit. nearly 1,000 record-high temperatures were broken this month. a staggering number. washington, d.c., climbed into the 80s. records were shattered elsewhere. the unusually warm winter means an early start to the allergy season, as sam champion now shows us. >> reporter: from all over the country, people are tweeting pictures of the early blooming trees like this magnolia in southern illinois. here in the northeast, it's the

juniper, the box elder, and the maple. that are throwing their pollen out. it's two to four weeks earlier and that's at a problem for people that suffer from seasonal allergies. >> farmers are worried that the earl will i crops will be damaged if there happens to be a late frost. >> i was so exhausted until i took allergy medicine. the poll season out there right now. >> i own stock in claritin. i hear you. no question that it's winter in the northwest. up to 3 feet of snow in the sierra and northern wok ris. rockies. >> a pocket of cold air brings snow to northern maine. >> 72 here this new york. 79 in hot-lanta. mostly 70s in the nation's midsection. 45 and wet in seattle. just shy of 80 in phoenix.

>> love that orange and yellow creeping north. tracking the overseas markets since the dow's best showing since 2007. and apple's new problem. how smart is siri? a new lawsuit challenges the artificial intelligence feature. and the 6-year-old smarty pants getting set for her day in the national spotlight.

welcome back, everybody. all the major u.s. stock indexes are coming off their biggest gaines of the year. a dow yesterday was up almost 2%. it dpaned 218 points to finish well above 13,000. the highest close in more than four years. the nasdaq closed above 3,000 for the first time in 1 years. investors were encouraged by positive news from retailers, banks. overseas markets chimed in overnight. tokyo's nikkei average soared 151 points. hong kong's hang seng gained 67 points. the ftse opened higher. most banks are in good shape to survive another financial meltdown. citi group, one of the nation's biggest banks, is said to need more capital. there are still nearly four

applicants for every job opening. workers don't have a whole lot of bargaining power. the result is wages with stagnant, rising less than the rate of inflation last year alone. a class action lawsuit says apple should be sorry about siri. a brooklyn man's lawsuit says it is not as smart as apple implied. the ads for the 4-s do now carry disclaimers. the encyclopedia britain ka says after all this time, they'll no longer publish a boxed set. the last edition was 32 volumes, weighed 129 pounds and cost $1400. one-third of those are sitting in a warehouse gathering dust.

>> we didn't have the internet. coming up next on this wednesday, a michigan boy's survival story. how he was saved after being buried alive. and the incredible behind-the-head shot from a full court away. we're right back on "america this morning." i've been growing oranges my whole life, ever since i can remember. my name is paul fabry, and i grow oranges in florida for tropicana. my grandpa taught me that there's no orange like a florida orange. they're grown in just the right soil... with the perfect amount of sunshine. see, that's how you get that beautiful colour and ripeness. tropicana pure premium is made with 100% florida oranges. because the best oranges make the best juice. ♪

a slow-speed chase through l.a. overnight with a dramatic end. when spike strips didn't work, the police committed a pit maneuver. after they stopped the car, they found a baby inside. for a look at morning road conditions. wet from the carolinas to jacksonville, i-20 from atlanta to shreveport. flooding on i-5 from seattle to northern california.

>> and if you're flying out there today, it should be easy going. airport delays only expected in san francisco. and 11-year-old michigan boy says he's learned an important lesson about playing in the sand. quote, don't dig holes unless you have a degree or are a professional sand digger. >> nicholas and his brother kyle were tunnelling in a sand pit near their home. a sudden collapse trapped him. >> after a minute, i passed out. but i was lucky, there was a gap by me. it was really scary. i think someone was down there with me to create the gap and make sure i didn't go. >> lucky kid. emergency crews dug him out in time. he gives most of the credit to kyle, who wasted no time running for help. man tried to rob a burger king in ft. lauderdale.

he didn't stand a chance. he jurned through a drive through window, pushed the worker aside. the works made sure he never made it back out the window. they held him until the police arrived. i guess he didn't have it, his way. >> oh, you stole my joke. scary moments for a hiker stuck on malibu cliff. he was clinging on to the 100-foot cliff side with no ledge and nowhere to go. they lowered a rescuer from a helicopter and brought the man to safety. a win they are morning in the iditarod sled race. dallas stevey just turned 25. it's a family affair. his father, mitch, won back in 2004. he's running this year, too, along with dallas' grandfather, who is 74 nine days, four hours, 29 minutes was the final time. time for pro hoops.

here's the highlights from espn news. i'm chris cotter with your espn news update. dwight howard and the magic hosting d. wade, lebron james and the heat. jameer nelson. the magic take the lead. dwyane wade says, i can answer that was with a three of my own. heat looking to win, who will take the game-winner. it's d. wade, it goes in and out though. we go the overtime. in the extra session, heat down two, chris bosh, he thinks is a huge play. the foul changes that. the official says no then yes, then no. bucket no good. magic still up two, jameer nelson. beautiful play with the left. the mamgic win, 104-98. to the west we go. lakers visiting the grizz.

kobe, drives, throws it down. 2 of his 34 points. the lakers down one at the half. to the overtime period. four seconds to play. tied at 103-103. kobe took the game-winner and couldn't hit it. kobe, first with defense. off the deflection, goes the other way. defense translates to offense for kobe. the lakers up one. then in the waning moments. lakers trying to seal it. gasol, to bynum. 37 points for bynum. the lakers win 116-111. that's your espn news update. i'm chris cotter. enjoy your day. >> it will all pale to march madness. the president took the wildcats and the tigers. >> he has the ohio state buck e

buckeyes going to the final four as well as my alma mater, the good old tar heels of unc. more on the presidential picks coming up on "gma." thank you, mr. president for being a tar heels fan at heart. it looks like iowa's andrew brommer making sh shot looks fake. no, it wasn't doctored. no special effects. the problem, though, he did it during practice. >> look at that. thought him everything he nose. coming up, which celebrity spends $8,000 a month to look good? and one city gets ready for a st. patty's day crackdown. [ laughing ] [ sea ] what's the last romantic thing he did for you? ohh, i don't know... ummm... did you have to do that to me? what counts as romantic? is somebody watching me somewhere? like emptying the dishwasher? [ laughing ]

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the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. yeah? time to check "the pulse." starting with a story that will make all of us feel like underachievers. >> lori ann madison is on her way to the scripps spelling bee. she's only 6 years old. remarkably unfazed by the hype. >> it's hard to put it into words, really. but at the least, i felt great. >> hard to put into words the. she'll be the youngest

competitor ever at just 6. amazing. >> congrats to her. impressive. what's the price for beauty if you're jennifer aniston? about $8,000, all put to good use, right. that's what she spends to look so awesome. >> high-priced beauty advice. the yoga bill, $900 a week. >> for a celeb, not too bad. >> not for the end results. >> look at her a little longer. you'll need the luck of the irish out in vegas this week. especially when you see a leprechaun in the crosswalk. >> police officers are trying to edge cat rather than punish. they've done similar holiday-themmed stings with success. >> it's a good holiday.

for some of you, your local news is coming up next. for the rest of you, diane sawyer's exclusive with jaycee dugard. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. ♪ ♪ ♪ grande caramel macchiato. iced grande caramel macchiato. make that iced. actually, hot, please. [ male announcer ] come into starbucks for the espresso drink you love, hot or iced, and get half off your afternoon espresso

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you on today's top stories. rick santorum won two big primaries in mississippi and alabama. newt gingrich will not drop out. at least 22 students with dead after their bus crashed in the swiss alps. their bus hit the wall of a tunnel. ahead of a state dinner tonight, president obama and david cameron took in some hoops. looking at today's weather, rain from see at toll san francisco. heavy snow? the northern rockies. showers from memphis to green bay. thunderstorms from miami up to the carolinas. and final will this wednesday morning, another chat with jayc erk rks dugard, sur

vooiing and thriving. >> she travelled to new york to receive an award and sat down with diane sawer yo bring us up to date on her new life. . >> reporter: you may remember she was 11 years old, waiting for the school bus, when convicted sex offender, phillip garrido, and his wife, nancy, kidnapped her and imprisoned her in a deranged backyard. she was pregnant at 13. gave birth to two daughters. her incredible story of survival told in the book, "a stolen life." >> i was kidnapped by a stranger at age 11. and i want phillip garrido to know that i no longer have to keep his secrets. >> reporter: we first spoke to her eight months ago. and this is jaycee dugard today. still, taking delight in ordinary things. like her first trip to new york city. >> oh, the buildings are incredible. my gosh. oh, my god. these cab drivers are like in and out. in and out. in and out. >> reporter: she is 31 and still reclaiming her real life. do you ever forget for whole

days what happened to you? >> oh, sure. it's not -- it's not with me every day. i mean, that is over. you know? nancy and phillip are behind bars. >> reporter: he hasn't tried to contact you, has he? >> no. not at all. which is fine with me. >> reporter: have you felt more anger? >> i am angry. you know? but on the other hand, i have two beautiful daughters, that i can never be sorry about. >> when we talked before, that maybe you'll find someone for you. someone you love. who does love you. >> i take it day by day. >> no one you have seen so far go by and you thought, i would like to meet them? >> no, i can't go there yet. who knows? i live here in the present. the future is what you make of it. >> amen to that. >> unbelievable